My husband and I sold our place in Bed-Stuy FSBO in Nov. 2007. (We put it on the market in July '07.) When brokers approached me, I took down their information and told them I would contact them if we felt we needed more help. I think most buyers are using the NYT and craigslist and if you're savvy about it you can do just as good a job as the brokers. We had a good amount of traffic and a couple offers right away. But I was ready to work with a broker I liked if things got too slow for us on our own. Glad we didn't need to! I wouldn't pay more than 3%. In this market, you might even be able to negotiate 2%. All they're really doing is bringing someone to your door.

Posted by: Kate at October 10, 2009 9:58 AM in response to FSBO Ground Rules

I agree with all the posters who said not to bother with trying to get the money they owe you. The court system is totally skewed and it will be a major pain and expense that will almost certainly get you nothing in return. You are lucky that they moved out. Ridiculous as that may sound, many other landlords have tenants who don't pay and refuse to leave (I dealt with this myself). As an aside, I heard there is a website called badtenants.com and if you want to get revenge you can post something negative about them there.

Posted by: Kate at October 1, 2009 8:48 PM in response to Non-Payment of Rent

Lovely sketch! There's a website where artists post sketches from cities all over the world. Perhaps I learned of it on Brownstoner. I can't remember the name, but maybe another reader will? Anyway, thanks for sharing!

Posted by: Kate at September 27, 2009 5:03 PM in response to Park Slope Sketches

A couple options I know of for "down home" cuisine:

Tinarina, the ribs place is called Royal Rib House and it's on Halsey right near Throop. It's only open Thursday-Sunday and it's take-out only, but it's awesome. Great side dishes, too (corn bread, mashed potatoes, collard greens), but they do run out sometimes, so get there early. That corner also has Uncle Vinnie's pizza (good Brooklyn pizza for delivery) and Shakoor's Sweet Tooth, which is famous for its sweet potato pie.

There is a newish soul food place on Malcolm X and Decatur which I believe is called Magic Soul Food. It's very ordinary in terms of ambiance, but I heard it's delicious and affordable (haven't made it there yet myself).

So who says there's no good eating in the Stuy?

Posted by: Kate at September 18, 2009 12:16 PM in response to Bed Stuy Restaurant Suggestions

I don't get it either. What happens when somebody wants to park their car there? I've seen people get nasty over much less than this when they're trying to park. It'd be a shame to get that banjo all smashed up.

Posted by: Kate at September 18, 2009 12:03 PM in response to Park(ing) Day on Fulton

I don't think I would ask for bank statements as Wrath does, but I think everyone's outrage is misplaced here. You have to consider that once a tenant is in your house it is incredibly difficult to get them out in New York. We have a tenant who looked trustworthy but has totally screwed us over. We have been trying to evict him for almost a year after he stopped paying and he's not out yet. We are excellent, understanding, responsible landlords, and if we choose to ask for bank statements from a future tenant, I don't think it's out of line. They're free to say no and look elsewhere if it sounds too intrusive. Let's not demonize landlords for looking out for our own interests. Landlords in owner-occupied buildings tend to just be ordinary people trying to pay the mortgage and a bad tenant can be financially disastrous, as I've learned the hard way.

Posted by: Kate at July 1, 2009 3:35 PM in response to How to Assess Potential Tenants?

I second the very good advice of newhomer. We sold a brownstone in Bed-Stuy ourselves in Nov. of 2007 and had the same gameplan, including making a website. Good photos are key -- we had a friend of ours who's a professional photographer take pictures because a wide-angle lens really makes a place look big and impressive. Another tip: say "no brokers" in your craigslist ad, but be prepared for brokers to contact you anyway. I kept the brokers' information in case we got desperate and wanted to use them, but we were able to get a good offer (that led to a sale) within three to three and a half months of putting it on the market. It was a lot of work, but if you have the time and are a self-motivated person I feel like it's totally worth it.

Posted by: Kate at May 7, 2009 8:35 PM in response to Broker or FSBO

LUXURY CONDOS, UNIQUE SPACE: RESIDE IN "THE JOINT." Loft-like openness, exposed pipes, concrete floors -- real industrial chic! New to the market, these condos offer the airiness of a loft space while also a contained sense of intimacy and privacy. Solid construction, high security, doorman building. Enjoy breath-taking views of Manhattan from the rooftop yard. Units start at 2.2 million. Open House: Saturday, 12-2. Bring your architect and prepare to dream! But no belts or sharp objects, please.

Posted by: Kate at December 17, 2008 10:46 AM in response to Inside the Brooklyn House of Detention

Forgive me for not addressing the all-important issue of dry-cleaning, but regarding the armory, I was at the meeting in November when Commissioner Hess addressed this issue and there remain some gaps in the city's information regarding the closing of the Bellevue shelter and their use of the Sumner Armory. When asked what would happen to the 900 men who use Bellevue when that shelter closes in June, Commissioner Hess replied that they would all be back in their homes. All 900 of them??! It seems likely that when the city discovers in June that only a few of them have been placed back in their homes, they will suddenly have an emergency on their hands -- who could have foreseen it? -- and lo and behold, those hundreds of men will end up in Sumner.

Also, when it's really important to get these men to their shelter location for the night, they are bused to Bed-Stuy. But the next morning, they're simply handed Metrocards when it's time to go back to the agency across the street from the Bellevue shelter to receive the social services they desperately need. If the city were really doing its best to help these homeless people, wouldn't it bus them back to Manhattan to get help?

I'm proud to live in the only American city to grant a right to shelter to its residents, but the burden needs to be borne by the entire city, not just by a neighborhood like Bed-Stuy. When we're tearing down shelters near social services to build a luxury hotel (like there aren't enough of those already) and then dumping the displaced homeless people in an underserved neighborhood of Brooklyn, there is something very wrong.

Posted by: Kate at December 3, 2008 4:43 PM in response to What's Up at the Sumner Avenue Armory?

Hi,

Re the poster above who says you can't go through the big three credit agencies yourself to get a credit report: I have a friend who has the prospective tenant get a copy of their own credit history with Equifax (everyone can get access to their own credit report once a year for free, I believe) and then present the credit report. Now, it sounds like this could be abused -- whited out and photocopied or something, unless it's in electronic form -- so I don't know how safe it is but at least it's worth knowing about.

Posted by: Kate at October 20, 2008 9:31 PM in response to Landlord credit/reference check

I had a different experience with VF. Hired them (back in 2003) to redo the floors in our one-bedroom and they did a great job -- even did the floors in a small closet that they could have forgotten about. (We weren't living there at the time and the super let them in for us, so we thought it was professional of them to do the closet without being observed!) A couple years ago we considered replacing the floors in our brownstone duplex and had them out for a consultation. We were concerned that modern wood floors wouldn't match the look of our house so we decided not to make the change, but they will give a free estimate, so I'd suggest meeting with them and seeing what you think.

Posted by: Kate at January 23, 2008 10:02 PM in response to Verrazano Flooring?

We'd like staircase spindles!
Thanks.

Posted by: Kate at August 16, 2007 10:27 AM in response to Brownstoner's First Annual Salvage Fest

I think you mean urbansketchers.com. That site is amazing, so much talented work, and a great collaborative environment. I strongly recommend.

Posted by: Permitadvisor at September 27, 2009 8:47 PM in response to Park Slope Sketches

Beautiful! You have a very lovely hand

Posted by: Smokychimp at September 28, 2009 3:30 PM in response to Park Slope Sketches

We sold our place FSBO (this was 2 years ago, so a slightly different market). I would recommend going it on your own first (if you're okay showing the place, talking to potential buyers, etc.) and then working with a broker if it isn't moving. I found that there were many benefits to NOT having a broker. When buyer's brokers approached, I would tell them I am not paying a commission and that if I change my mind I would get in touch. You may wish to contact brokers BEFORE you sell so you can get their assessment (we told the brokers who came that we plan to FSBO, at least for the first few weeks). As long as you are upfront with them, you can still get some good advice, and possibly, be convinced their services would be worth it to you. But, I would not work with brokers until I've done a few open houses to see how much traffic/interest existed. NYTimes & Craigslist were MORE than enough as far as advertising. Good luck!

Posted by: slope2009 at October 10, 2009 9:36 PM in response to FSBO Ground Rules

Brokers are great if you live out of state and need someone to sell a place for you. I've known a couple of people who did this and were very happy.

Posted by: mopar at October 11, 2009 11:51 AM in response to FSBO Ground Rules